Foldable crate.



PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905.

E. M. AVERILL.

FOLDABLE GRATB- APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTED NOV. 7, 1905.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

------- L wsw 4L I I I Zin MA Y WZZZ Inventor.

E. M. A VERILL.

FOLDABLB CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.7.1905.

ELIAS M. AVERILL, OF NEWAYGO, MICHIGAN.

FOLDABLE CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1905 Application filed January 7, 1905. Serial No.240,071.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LELIAs M. AVERILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newaygo, in the county of Newaygo and State of Michigan,have invented a new and useful Foldable Crate, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to packing and storing vessels, and has for itsobject to provide an improved device of this character in the nature ofashipping-crate which is capable of being collapsed'or folded when notin use, so as to facilitate the storage of a plurality of crates and thereturn of said crates when empty.

Another object of the invention is to enable the completion of the crateat the factory and to provide for storing and shipping the same in acollapsed and folded condition and capable of being readily set up whenrequired for use.

It is furthermore designed to provide an improved connection between thesides and ends of the crate to enable the initial collapsing or foldingthereof and the subsequent unfolding and setting up of the crate withoutdisconnecting the permanent sides and ends and at the same time toeffectually bind the ends of the crate and render the same strong anddurable.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the application andremoval of the two removable sides of the crate and to retain theremovable sides in place without the aid of additional fastenings.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crateembodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontallongitudinal sectional view of the crate prior to the application of theremovable sides. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view withthe removable sides in place. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of one end ofthe crate, showing the end member forced out flush with the ends of theperma nent sides by the application of the removable sides. Fig. 5 is aperspective view illustrating the crate in its folded or collapsedcondition.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings.

While the present invention may be embodied in the nature of a closedbox and also as a ventilated box or crate, it has been shown as aslatted ventilated crate particularly adapted for the packing ofvegetables, fruit, and other perishable articles.

In the present construction of crate there are what will be termed twoopposite permanent sides, each of which consists of 'a series of spacedslats 1, connected at their corresponding ends by means of cleats orcrossbars 2, secured to the outer sides of the slats flush with the endsof the latter, the slats of course running longitudinally of the crate.Between the corresponding ends of these side members are end members,each of which consists of a series of upright spaced slats 3, the endsof which are received between and connected to the pairs of cleats orcross-bars designated 4 and 5, which are located, respectively, upon theouter and inner sides of the end member, said pairs of cleats beingrespectively disposed above and below the top and bottom edges of thepermanent sides of the crate.

As best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the endsof the crate are disposed between and inwardly from the correspondingends of the permanent sides of the crate in the original manufacture ofthe device, and each end is connected to the side members by means of acontinuous band 6, preferably of pliable wire, which embraces theexteriors of the sides 1 at what will be termed the inner edges of thecleats 2 and extends across the outer side of the end of the crateacross what will be termed the inner edges of the external cleats 4:,suitable staples 7 being driven into the side slats 1 and cleats 2 andother staples 8 driven into the end slats 3 and outer end cleats 4 torigidly connect the pliable band/to the permanent sides and ends of thecrate.

It will here be explained that the crate as originally manufactured isin the condition indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and thereforeincludes two sides and two ends which are permanently connected by meansof pliable bands embracing and connected to the sides and also connectedto the ends upon the exteriors thereof. After being thus constructed thecrate may be collapsed or folded to bring the opposite permanent sides 1alongside of one another, as indicated in Fig. 5, this collapsing 01'folding being possible in View of the pliability of the bands 6. Whenthe crate is thus folded, bends 9 are produced at the upper and lowercorners of each band at one side only of the crate, the bends of the twobands being at opposite sides of the crate. Upon unfolding the crate thebends will partially but not entirely disappear. It will of course beunderstood that the crate may be folded in either direction, andtherefore it is not necessary to exercise care as to the direction inwhich the crate should be folded.

In addition to the permanent sides 1 there are two duplicate removablesides, each side consisting of spaced slats 10 and end cleats 11,located upon the outer sides of the slats and spaced a suitable distanceinwardly from the ends thereof. In practice each cleat 11 should beplaced inwardly from the adjacent end of the removable side a distanceequal to substantially one-half of the thickness of the adjacent endcleat 5, and the length of said removable side should exceed the initialdistance between the slats of the opposite ends of the crate by thethickness of one of the inner end cleats 5. One of the removable sidesis introduced into the crate and forced downwardly until the projectedends of the slats rest upon the lower inner cleats 5 with the cleats 11hearing against the inner faces of said cleats 5, wherefore the lowerportions of the ends will be forced outwardly flush with the extremitiesof the permanent sides 1 and bends 9 will appear in all of the lowercorners of the two bands 6. The fruit, vegetables, or other material isthen packed into the crate and one end of the removable top is thenintroduced beneath one of the upper inner-end cleats 5, as indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 8, with the cleat 11 beneath the cleat 5, whichbrings the opposite end of the removable top against the inner face ofthe other upper cleat 5, and then the upwardly-inclined end of theremovable top is forced down until its end underlies the adjacent cleat5, whereupon the removable top may be shifted slightly in an endwisedirection to snap both cleats 11 into engagement with the inner faces ofthe inner cleats 5, which operation produces bends in all of the uppercorners of the bands and forces the upper portions of the ends of thecrate outwardly flush with the extremities of the permanent sides 1 andthe removable top willbe held in place by the pressure of the fruit,vegetables, or the like without the employment of extraneous fastenings.WVhen the removable sides have thus been fitted in place,

they operate as braces to rigidly support the crate in its set-upcondition, and when sald sides are removed the crate may be again foldedin either direction, as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, forconvenience in storage or for shipment as an empty.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the ends andtwo sides of the present crate are permanently connected, and thereforeit is not necessary to disconnect any of these parts when it is desiredto fold or collapse the crate, and the removable sides are held in placewithout the employment of extraneous fastening means, which materiallyfacilitates the setting up and collapsing of the crate, and there are nofastening devices to be lost and broken. Moreover, the bands at each endof the crate embrace the same in a manner to eflectually take theoutward strains of the weight of the contents of the crate, therebyadding materially to the strength and durability of the latter, while atthe same time imparting practically no additional weight thereto.

In the folding and unfolding of the crate, while the bands 6 constituteflexible connections between the permanent sides and the ends to permitof such folding, the folding operation is not due to any pivotal orturning movements of the bands within the staples 7, but to aflexibility or bending of the corners of the bands between the adjacentfastenings 7 and 8, carried by the permanent sides and the ends. Theobjection to hinged or pivotal connections between the permanent sidesand the ends of the crate resides in the fact that such connections areloose and practically preclude the production of a rigid crate, while inthe present construction the forcing of the ends of the crate outwardlyby the introduction of the removable sides produces a flexing or bendingof the pliable bands, which in turn results in the binding of theremovable sides between the ends of the crate, while at the same timethe connection between the permanent sides and the ends is comparativelystiff, and thus all looseness is effectually obviated.

A very important advantage of the present form of crate resides in thefact that the continuous bands form the sole connections between thepermanent sides and the ends of the crate, and as these bands embracethe sides of the crate a very strong and durable structure is provided.Moreover, these fasteningbands are bendable to permit folding of thecrate and in a sense constitute hinged connections between the permanentsides and the ends.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A cratehaving opposite ends and two opposite sides permanently connected andcapable of being folded at the joints between the sides and ends, cleatsupon the inner faces of the ends of the crate, and removable sideshaving their ends externally lapped by the respective end cleats andprovided with external cleats gripped between the end cleats of theconnected thereto, the bands being pliable to permit folding of thesides and ends, and removable sides to brace the crate in its set-upcondition. I

3. A crate comprising opposite permanent sides, ends interposed betweenthe sides and disposed inwardly from the extremities thereof, bandsembracing the end portions of the sides in substantial parallelism withthe sides and rigidly connected thereto and to the ends, the bands beingbendable at points between the sides and the ends to permit of thelatter being forced outwardly, and removable sides exceeding in lengththe initial space between the ends of the crate and capable of beinginserted between said endsto force the latter outwardly.

4:. A crate comprising two permanent sides, ends interposed between thesides and spaced inwardly from the extremities thereof, bands embracingand rigidly connected to the end portions of the sides in substantialparallelism with the ends with portions lying across the outer faces ofthe ends and rigidly connected thereto, portions of the bands betweenthe sides and the ends being bendable to permit of the ends being forcedoutwardly, and removable sides exceeding in length the initial spacebetween the ends of the crate and capable of being inserted between saidends to force the same outwardly.

5. A crate comprising two permanent sides, ends interposed between thesides and disposed inwardly of the extremities thereof, bands embracingthe end portions of the sides and rigidly connected thereto and to theends, portions of the bands between the sides and the ends beingbendable to permit of the ends being forced outwardly, opposite cleatsupon the inner face of each end, and a pair of removable sides exceedingin length the initial space between the ends of the crate and capable ofbeing inserted between the ends to force the same outwardly, eachremovable side having opposite cleats disposed inwardly from therespective ends to bear against the inner faces of corresponding cleatsof the ends of the crate.

6. A crate comprising a pair of permanent sides, ends interposed betweenthe sides inwardly from the extremities thereof and projected beyond theopposite edges of the sides, bands embracing the end portions of thesides and lying across the projected portions of the ends and alsorigidly connected to the sides and. the ends, the portions of the bandsbetween the sides and the ends being bendable to permit of the endsbeing forced outwardly, and a pair of removable sides exceeding inlength the initial space between the ends of the crate and capable ofbeing inserted therebetwee to force the same outwardly.

7. Acrate comprising a pair of permanent sides having external terminalcleats, ends interposed between the sides and located inwardly from theextremities thereof, each end being projected beyond the opposite edgesof the sides and provided upon its projected portions with inner andouter cleats, bands embracing the sides and located in the angle betweensaid sides and the inner faces of the cleats thereof, portions of theband lying across the outer face of the end in the angles between saidend and the outer cleats thereof, the bands being rigidly connected tothe sides and the ends, and removable sides exceeding in length theinitial space between the ends and capable of being introduced betweenthe ends to force the same outwardly, each removable side havingexternal transverse cleats spaced inwardly from the ends thereof forengagement with the inner faces of corresponding end cleats.

8. A crate comprising ends, two opposite permanent sides, bandsembracing the end portions of the sides in planes substantiallyparallel-with those of the ends and connected to the sides and the ends,said bands forming hinges to foldably connect the sides and ends, andremovable sides exceeding the initial distance between the ends andcapable of being inserted between the same to force them outwardly, thebands capable of bending during the insertion of the removable sides topermit yielding of the ends and to frictionally bind the removable sidesbetween the ends of the crate.

9. A crate comprising opposite ends, two opposite permanent sides,bendable connections between the sides and the ends, and two oppositeremovable sides exceeding in length the initial distance between theends and capable of being forced in between the latter, the bendableconnections between the ends and the sides permitting of the ends beingforced outwardly by the insertion of the removable sides.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELIAS M. AVERILL.

Witnesses:

E. O. SHANER, J. M. MEENNENBERG.

